Arsenal 2-3 Borussia Dortmund: Defensive Mistakes Sink Gunners In Emirates Cup
Borussia Dortmund won the Emirates Cup as more sloppy Arsenal defending let Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou in, with new signing Christos Tzolis inspiring a fightback that ultimately fell short.
Dortmund punish more sloppy Arsenal defending
Arsenal's uneven pre-season continued at the Emirates Stadium as Borussia Dortmund won the Emirates Cup with a 3-2 victory, four days after Mikel Arteta admitted his side's defending in a defeat to Real Betis was "below the standard" he expects. Dortmund took an early lead in the seventh minute when Samuele Inacio was played through by Lukas Nmecha and finished coolly. Arsenal had a let-off in the 15th minute when Martin Odegaard was fouled inside the area; referee Chris Kavanagh initially pointed to the penalty spot before changing his mind and awarding a free-kick on the edge of the box instead, which Viktor Gyokeres fired over the bar.
Karetsas doubles the lead before the break
Gyokeres also struck the crossbar in the 26th minute after Martin Odegaard's pass found Max Dowman on the right. Arsenal's defending let them down again in the 29th minute, when Riccardo Calafiori lost possession on the halfway line and 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas carried the ball forward himself to make it 2-0. New signing Christos Tzolis went close to pulling one back for Arsenal before half-time, whipping in two free-kicks in the space of four minutes that Gabriel headed over and Kai Havertz nodded straight at the goalkeeper.
Tzolis inspires a fightback, but Gadou restores the three-goal cushion
Arsenal came out for the second half with intent, and Ethan Nwaneri swept in from close range in the 55th minute after good work from Tzolis down the left. The response lasted only four minutes: Illan Meslier saved after Calafiori again failed to clear his lines at a corner, and Joane Gadou tucked away the rebound to make it 3-1. Gyokeres pulled another back from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Tzolis, a constant threat throughout, was brought down by Jobe Bellingham. Gabriel Martinelli thought he had completed the comeback in stoppage time, but his effort was ruled out for offside from a short corner, and Dortmund held on to win 3-2.
Arteta faces a busy week before the Community Shield
Arsenal's back-to-back pre-season defeats leave Arteta with issues to address before the Community Shield against Manchester City in Cardiff on 16 August. New signing Bruno Guimaraes was introduced to the Emirates crowd before kick-off, and Arsenal have one more warm-up game, at home to Como on 12 August, before the new season gets under way.
Sky Sports, August 2026